Brumbies lay down early season marker

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Cape Town - The Brumbies sounded a warning to their Super Rugby rivals by thrashing the Hurricanes 52-10 in Canberra on Friday.

The men from Canberra, who led 24-3 at the break, ran in seven tries for a comprehensive bonus-point win against last year's runners up.

The margin of the scoreline will surprise many, given the fact that the Hurricanes thumped the Crusaders 74-7 in a warm-up match earlier this month.

But the men from Wellington were no match for the Brumbies, who dominated at scrum time and constantly had their opponents on the back foot.

In next weekend's action, the Brumbies host the Waratahs in what is sure to be a mouth-watering Australian derby, while the 'Canes travel to Dunedin to face the Highlanders, the team which beat them in last year's final in Wellington.

Both teams will be eager for a victory, as the Highlanders also lost their first game - going down 33-31 to the Blues in Auckland on Friday.